One dead in Greek wildfires fanned by gale-force winds

22/6/2024 7:35

        A man died on Friday as several forest fires fanned by gale-force winds battered Greece's southern tip and forced evacuations, the fire brigade said.
        
        The 55-year-old man was injured in a blaze in the region of Ilia on the Peloponnese peninsula and died at a hospital, said a fire service official.
        
        Some 120 firefighters, assisted by dozens of engines, were deployed to tame forest fires in Achaia region, which spread fast to the nearby district of Ilia and raged uncontrolled.
        
        "All forces are making a superhuman effort to tame them," amid winds of up to 120 kph (75 mph), Greek fire brigade spokesperson Vasilis Vathrakogiannis said, as about 45 wildfires broke out in the country within a few hours.
        
        Wildfires are common in the Mediterranean country, but they have become more devastating as summers have become hotter, drier and windier, which scientists relate to climate change.